Heart
by Ryhan
Summary: What if Ulquiorra felt just a little differently about Aizen's plans for Orihime? Heart is the sequel to my AU fic "Wherever You Will Go." Takes place starting around episode 117 and forward. ULQUIORRAxORIHIME, some GinxRan.
1. Heart: Prologue

It had been some time since Matsumoto Rangiku escaped Hueco Mundo, and Neliel Tu had been banished from Las Noches. Everything else seemed peaceful. Aizen would allow for no one to defy him, and those that did, paid the price. Unfortunately for Nel, she not only paid the price for her own actions, but those of Gin's as well. Lord Aizen would not so thoroughly punish one of his own commanders. That is why Pesche and Dondochakka helped Neliel Tu carry the punishment of both her, and Commander Ichimaru.

Ulquiorra walked down the silent halls of Las Noches, lost in thought. He passed by the part of the castle that once belonged to Neliel, and that now belonged to someone else. See, the Espada never went without a member for very long. With Lord Aizen's continuous work on evolving the Hollows, someone was always there to take another's place.

They were easily expendable. Luckily, Ulquiorra felt safe. With Neliel Tu's banishment, he was even promoted. Of course, his movement through the Espada ranks could be for better, or for worse.

"Well, well... What do we have here?" said a gruff, snarling voice followed by a mocking laugh.

Ulquiorra looked up. "Grimmjow."

"What's up, Ulquiorra!? Come to fight? Or mourn the loss of that shinigami?" A wide smirk played on Grimmjow's face as he leaned against the wall, his arms folded over his open vest. With him, as always, was his band of Fraccion.

"Can you not go anywhere without this trash following you?" Ulquiorra asked without acknowledging their existence except for that one statement. Grimmjow unfolded his arms and stood up to Ulquiorra, a growl deep in his throat.

"So what if I take them with me? They're my Fraccion to do as I wish!"

The shorter Arrancar closed his eyes, sighing. "Don't flaunt your power so readily. I still outrank you." This was all he said as he walked calmly away, leaving Grimmjow steaming. When he was out of sight of Grimmjow, he passed by the room that was once occupied by their prisoner. He did not stop, nor did he give any outward sign of acknowledging it, but several thoughts ran through his mind.

Most of them being the last image he saw of her, being held by Gin during their moment of weakness, of goodbye. "What rubbish," he said as he continued walking. Suddenly, though, an image of the human girl from the World of the Living flashed across his mind as well. He stopped, staring at the ground. "Why did she appear in my mind?"

"Somethin' troublin' ya?" A voice said from behind him. Ulquiorra looked up and turned around.

"Commander Ichimaru," he said.

Gin smiled and walked up to him. "You seem a bit..distracted, Ulquiorra."

"I seem to remember Aizen-sama telling you not to be caught in this area again."

Shrugging, Gin continued to smile. "He won' find out... right, Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and turned around. "It does not benefit me to say anything to Lord Aizen. If he finds out it is because he is watching you - and me - very closely."

"Aizen wouldn' keep so tight a leash on you, his favorite pet," Gin said. Then he looked at the door. "You miss her too, don'tcha, Ulquiorra?"

"It is not within my rights or allowance to miss or even feel compassion. I feel the loss of a prisoner as nothing more than an inconvenience for Aizen-sama's plans."

Gin wanted nothing more than to strangle Ulquiorra. The Hollow was so damn infuriating! Oh well, better not continue. Ulquiorra was right. No matter his personal feelings, Rangiku leaving was not something Gin could mourn. In mutual silence, the two left, Ulquiorra heading back to his own quarters.

"Matsumoto was not mine to mourn or miss," Ulquiorra said. "What use would I have for such feelings, and why would I care about such a trifling matter." It was true- Ulquiorra could not have cared less for Rangiku's leaving, if only her leaving left him with more questions than he had when he first met her. That is what frustrated him so damn much.

Not too long after Ulquiorra and Yammy arrived back in Hueco Mundo, Ulquiorra found himself wanting to go back. He was.. curious.. about the humans. More so than he was about the shinigami. The shinigami were not much different than he was- spirits, souls, with powers and abilities far beyond that of humans. Yet there seemed to be humans who possessed similar abilities. This intrigued him.

Suddenly his mind returned to his encounter with Grimmjow. It did not seem to be a chance meeting- and also, what would Grimmjow be doing with his Fraccion? Surely Aizen-sama had not sent them on a mission?

"Alright, let's go," Grimmjow said. "We'll finish what that wimp Ulquiorra started!" Grimmjow stood inside of Las Noches, surrounded by his Fraccion. "I'll go first, make sure you ain't followed! Last thing I want is that ridiculous Ulquiorra finding out!" With that, Grimmjow opened a portal that would take him to the World of the Living.

AN: I know it's short, but here we have the first part of Heart! Kind of like the prologue, it's a continuation of Wherever You Will Go's epilogue. Who will take center stage in this production? Well, continue reading to find out!

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who read and reviewed Wherever You Will Go. Thanks for the kind words, and I hope you enjoy Heart as much as you did WYWG!

A lot of you were concerned I strayed too far from Ulquiorra's character. While it's true I played a bit more with his character than the others, I did try to not change his personality too much. I always perceived Ulquiorra as having no emotion, but after reading the part with him and Orihime in the manga, during Ulquiorra's fight with Ichigo, he seemed very curious about Orihime. It made me think that even if he cannot seem, or is not willing, to feel emotions, he does feel curiosity and frustration at not being able to know any other emotion. That's why I had the scene with Ulquiorra and Rangiku. It's not that he felt anything for her, but the fact that he did not made him frustrated, and he was curious to know what it felt like. It is for this reason, and my perception of Ulquiorra, that prompted me to write that chapter.

There were, I'm sure, plenty of ways to bring out that part of Ulquiorra, but it seemed to fit his character that he'd do it at the expense of someone else's pain.

I hope that clears some things up, and once again, thank you for the critique and reviews! Please keep them coming, and I hope you continue to read Heart!


	2. Curiosity 2

"Welcome back..." Aizen said with a smirk as Tousen brought Grimmjow into the throne room of Las Noches, "...Grimmjow." Grimmjow said nothing, but stared back up at Aizen, blood running down the side of his face.

"Well?" Tousen asked. "Aren't you going to apologize, Grimmjow?" A solid no was the answer the Espada gave. Tousen turned his head towards Grimmjow. "You..."

Aizen interrupted him. "It's alright...Kaname. I'm not angry."

"But, Lord Aizen-"

"I take Grimmjow's actions...to be an overzealous display of loyalty." Aizen said calmly, before glaring down at Grimmjow, who met that cold stare. "Am I wrong.. Grimmjow?"

It was a moment before Grimmjow answered, but he finally spoke. "No, my Lord." Suddenly a hand reached out to grab Grimmjow's vest. He looked sideways at the Commander. "What're you doing, Tousen?"

Aizen continued to watch the banter between the two, his smile playing on his lips the entire time. This is what he enjoyed. He enjoyed conflict, in fact, thrived on it.

From outside, Gin listened to the entire scene with that ever-present smile. He was not, however, the only spectator. Ulquiorra watched the display without pity nor remorse. Grimmjow deserved what he recieved. Lord Aizen punished those who were disrespectful. As Grimmjow stalked out of the room, Ulquiorra left without a trace, while Gin stayed behind.

Ulquiorra was not entirely sure what Grimmjow did in the World of the Living, but he knew that the Espada had lost all of his Fraccion in the process. Of course, it was no real loss, nor was Grimmjow's imminent fall from the Espada going to be a real loss. Ulquiorra closed his eyes. He was so incredibly bored. Watching Grimmjow's humiliation quenched Ulquiorra's boredom for a few moments, but now, there was nothing. He looked up as two Fraccion scampered to get out of his way. The Espada paid them no attention, but kept walking.

It was when he finally reached his room that he realized the only thing that kept his boredom at bay- was now comfortably back in Soul Society. Then again, rarely was he ever alone with her in the first place- Gin usually showed up just in time. Annoying, really.

Ulquiorra knew that going to the World of Living in the same manner Grimmjow had would mean a punishment no less severe, no matter who it was who went. An image suddenly flashed in his mind again of the human girl who stood up to Yammy. The emotionless Espada could not figure out why he kept picturing her. Her fear, her stubbornness. Her complete relief when that shinigami had showed up to save her. His own, mixed emotions surging when he saw what humans and shinigami could so readily summon. Was it, jealousy? For him, emotions were a foreign thing. But to other beings that were so similar, they came so easily. To his commanders. To the Shinigami. Especially to the humans.

Grimmjow had begun sulking in his own quarters after his demotion. Ulquiorra preferred it that way. Grimmjow had a way of getting on his nerves, which was a miraculous feat in and of itself. Ulquiorra found the peace and quiet quite nice, though it eventually only increased his boredom.

Finally, finding nothing of interest to do, Ulquiorra made his decision. He was a loyal servant to Aizen, and to fully be able to serve and understand those he pledged his loyalty to, he needed to learn more.

"You want to go to the World of the Living again? Why....?" Aizen asked, slightly skeptical, but knowing Ulquiorra would not dare defy his orders.

"I wish to learn more about these humans.. I am... curious about them..." Ulquiorra stood there, perfectly still, gazing up at Aizen, who leaned comfortably back in his chair.

"I see no reason to deny you this request.. So long as you have learned something from Grimmjow's mistake, and do not repeat it, Ulquiorra. I have no use for anyone who just does what they please."

"Of course, Lord Aizen. I wish to merely observe, no more."

Aizen smiled and closed his eyes. "Of course, Ulquiorra. I understand. You wish to fully comprehend what we face, to further our cause." Aizen opened his eyes just slightly. "Am I right?"

Ulquiorra bowed. "Yes, Aizen-sama."

"Then go as you please. I look forward to hearing about anything you learn that might prove useful."

Again, Ulquiorra bowed his head. "My thanks, Aizen-sama," he said before turning and leaving.

"Are you sure that is such a good idea, Lord Aizen?" Tousen asked from behind Aizen's throne. "Letting him come and go as he pleases?"

"I don't feel Ulquiorra would betray me. And if he did.. it is no loss of ours."

Only Gin remained silent, a slight frown on his face as he watched the Espada leave._ I hope ya know what yer doin' Ulquiorra..._


	3. Emeralds in the Dark

When Ulquiorra stepped through the Garganta this time, he was alone, and it was very near dark in Karakura Town. He calmly landed in the grassy park, looking around with disinterest. Nearby, some fireflies lit up and dimmed, imitating the stars in the night sky.

As he stood there in the silence, he looked around, sensing several more strong reiatsu this time around than he had before. _Perhaps Grimmjow was correct in his concerns.. but probably not. Even with this I see no reason for his behavior._ As he walked through the park towards the heart of the city, there were two reiatsu in particular he sensed. _I wouldn't be surprised, if it was her..._

Orihime lay in bed, awake. Rangiku was fast asleep- snoring, in fact. Toshiro Hitsugaya, the Captain in charge of the mission, was also asleep. Orihime sat up, remembering the day when those two Arrancar came and attacked. And then- what was worse, they came again just a few nights earlier. Orihime sighed and looked over at the two who were sharing her small apartment. She smiled slightly. Rangiku had not been too badly injured in her fight, but Hitsugaya was a different story. They had all underestimated their opponents, but for some reason, Hitsugaya and Rukia had seen the worst of it.

The human stood up quietly and snuck out of the room, not wanting to wake either of the shinigami. Without thinking, her hand brushed against one of her hairpins. That's right, Tsubaki had been destroyed in the first attack. Orihime closed her eyes and left the apartment.

"I have to try and restore him.. If I can't, then I won't be any help to Kurosaki-kun.." With that, Orihime left, determined to find any piece of Tsubaki there might have been. Even the tiniest piece of the shattered shield would be enough.

Orihime ran to the spot where Ulquiorra and Yammy had been just days before. The crater was still there- and since its appearance there had been caution signs placed all around it to keep people out.

The girl stood there, her fists clenched with determination, staring at the spot. Then, without warning, her hairpins began to glow, and five small creatures appeared around her.

"Orihime, we can't sense Tsubaki... we won't be able to find him like this," one of them said.

Orihime smiled. "I know the chances are not very good," she said softly. "But I have to try.."

Another of the creatures sighed and flew around her. "Then let's get searching!" All at once, the five flowers began to glow, and they zoomed off in different directions, leaving Orihime to search as well. She carefully made her way to the crater, thinking maybe part of Tsubaki had landed there.

Ulquiorra watched from high up in the sky, well hidden by the trees and darkness. His green eyes watched the girl as she summoned those same little nuisances and spoke with them as she had that day. Although he did not show it, he was puzzled by her actions. She spoke to them as if they were comrades, not tools, and then they began searching for something.

"What is she searching for?" he asked himself. Then he remembered when she attacked Yammy. A single weapon was shot, and destroyed by his fellow Espada. _Could it be.. she's trying to find and restore him? He was shattered into a million pieces.. it's impossible._ Nevertheless, Orihime searched for hours, and could not locate a single part of Tsubaki.

A few of her flowers returned. "We're sorry, Orihime. We couldn't sense Tsubaki anywhere." Orihime closed her eyes as the rest of her Shun Shun Rikka appeared. They also hung their heads.

"We'll come back tomorrow," Orihime said after a few minutes.

"What?" The five flowers said together. "That's crazy! Tsubaki's gone! It's not your fault, but he's gone."

Ulquiorra continued to watch, confused at her determination to restore something that was obviously too weak to be of any use. Finally, the girl commanded them to return, and they did so. He watched as the girl stood there in silence before finally turning around and leaving the way she came.

"These humans... are indeed fascinating." He followed her reiatsu for a ways, without venturing too close, or too far from the spot where he saw her, and soon it was joined by another, familiar reiatsu. Ulquiorra's eyes widened. "That is.. her reiatsu.." he whispered, his monotone voice just barely above a whisper. "So she is here."


	4. Confrontation

The Garganta opened up, ripping through the space at Las Noches inside of Ulquiorra's personal area. His two fraccion were there waiting for him to come back, and upon seeing him, they immediately knelt.

"Welcome back, Ulquiorra-sama!" they said in unison. Ulquiorra ignored them, walking past them and into his private quarters. Menolly and Loly stood up, gasping. "Ulquiorra-sama! Is something wrong? Is there anything we can get you?" The only response given them was the door shut in their faces. The two fraccion were terrified of Ulquiorra, so they tried to do whatever they could to please him, but lately he ignored them even more so than usual.

Ulquiorra quickly found that he was not alone, however, when Gin stepped out of the shadows. "I'm surprised ya got Aizen to grant yer request!" he said cheefully.

The Espada looked at him, then turned his back. "Unlike Grimmjow and Neliel, I asked for his permission. There is nothing that can be said as disobeying orders when permission is given. There is no way he could punish me for doing so."

"What would ya have done if he said no?"

"He would not have. By asking his permission I merely strengthened his trust in my loyalty, which he should have no reason to doubt," Ulquiorra said, glancing back at Gin as he said this.

Gin shrugged. "I wouldna say anything that would cause his trust in you to waver for an instant. Yer his little pet, after all. So.. find out anythin' interestin'?"

"My loyalty is to Lord Aizen and his cause, not you. I owe you nothing, Commander Gin." With this, Ulquiorra started to leave the large room, Gin still smiling.

"Oh well, never hurts to ask. Though I am curious as to why you so suddenly wish to go to the World of the Living so often."

This caused Ulquiorra to stop in his tracks. "You heard my reasons in front of Lord Aizen."

"But surely," Gin said as he approached Ulquiorra, "there is more... Oh well," he said, shrugging. "Not my concern!" With that, Gin started to leave, but Ulquiorra spoke first.

"She is there, you know. That shinigami." Those words stopped Gin in his tracks, and he smiled sadly, his back turned from Ulquiorra.

"Is she? Nice to know she is doing well. I guess someone had to have given Grimmjow the beating he had when he came back." After that, Gin left in a hurry. Ulquiorra was the only one who had witnessed, and therefore knew without a doubt, Gin's feelings. There was no need to continue, even though Gin was sure Ulquiorra would not tell Aizen of his treachery.

Perhaps there was something of a heart in the Hollow, after all.

Orihime stood outside, her Shun Shun Rikka surrounding her once more. They all believed it was futile, but Orihime wanted to keep searching.

This time, Ulquiorra sat in a tree limb directly above her. She still had not sensed him, which was strange. He was not making any kind of serious effort to hide his reiatsu, but of course he had to hide somewhat, or else those annoying Shinigami would be swarmed around him in an instant.

Ulquiorra was growing quite annoyed, actually. She was so focused on finding that worthless flower that she had never noticed his appearance. Either she had no talent, or she did not care. Finally, he disappeared and reappeared behind her.

"Why do you spend so much time searching for that which can never be regained?" he asked suddenly. "It's pointless really."

Orihime froze on the spot. She only just realized what was behind her, and she berated herself for not sensing him earlier. Turning, she yelled for her shield to appear, and in a flash, it was there between them. Ulquiorra stood there, staring at it.

"That is indeed impressive, girl. But it is nothing against me."

Orhime stood there, glaring at him. "Wh-what do you want?" she demanded, though her entire body was shaking. She had no way of attacking, and he was right- if he wanted to, he could shatter her Santen Kesshun without a second thought. So why wasn't he?

"Why should I tell the likes of you? You are nothing but trash.." Ulquiorra calmly stepped to the side of the tri-shield and approached Orihime. "You lost what I am assuming is your only means of combat.. yet you continue to search for it even though it was weak." He tilted his head. "You humans are indeed strange."

Suddenly both Ulquiorra and Orihime turned, both of them sensing a wave of reiatsu heading their way. "It seems your friends are on their way," Ulquiorra said, glancing at her. What he saw, however, was not fear, or even happiness. She was staring at him with a fierce determination.

"Kurosaki-kun and the others will come, and you're all alone," she said, though her voice was shaking.

For a moment, there was silence between them, before Ulquiorra closed his eyes and calmly turned around. "Not today, I'm afraid," he said, before summoning the Garganta. With no more words, Ulquiorra disappeared, leaving Orihime to her confusion as Ichigo, Rangiku, and Hitsugaya appeared.


	5. Realization

"You okay, Orihime?" Ichigo asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. Orihime was staring at the place where the Garganta had closed on the Arrancar. Ichigo's voice jerked her out of her thoughts as she turned to face him.

"Y-yea! Of course I am! I had my Shun Shun Rikka, after all!" she said cheerily, but Ichigo only frowned.

Rangiku walked up to her captain. "Captain.. do you think.." she started, but changed her words. She could not figure out how to word it exactly. Although this reiatsu had felt incredibly strong, it had not felt as malicious as those who had come earlier. In fact.. "It felt like.. Ulquiorra," Rangiku said to herself. "But why would he be here?"

Wanting to know what happened, Rangiku went to where Ichigo and Orihime stood. Smiling, she shoved Kurosaki out of the way and placed her arm around Orihime's shoulders. "Tell me, Orihime," she said happily as Ichigo landed on the ground.

"Hey, what's the big idea!?" he shouted, shaking his fist, but his words went ignored for now.

"What did this Arrancar look like? Why was he here, do you know?" Rangiku asked, leaning close to Orihime.

"U-Um.. well... he had what seemed to be half of a helmet on his head.. I guess his mask fragment.. a-and.. he didn't actually do anything.."

Rangiku drew back and put a finger to her lips. "Sounds like Ulquiorra.. And you're quite sure he did nothing? Did he speak to you?"

Orihime nodded. "He was frightening, but he didn't do anything."

By this time, Ichigo had stood up and retook his position from Rangiku. "Orihime," he said, getting her attention. "What were you doing here alone in the first place?" Orihime's eyes widened and she looked down.

"I was... trying to restore Tsubaki.. he was shattered in my last fight.." Ichigo closed his eyes for a moment.

"Come on, let's get going," he said.

Ulquiorra walked down the halls of the Espada's portion of Las Noches. His eyes looked straight ahead, but his mind was elsewhere. The first time he had returned from the World of the Living he was ordered to show Aizen and the others what he had witnessed, but he had succeeded in hiding the part about the human woman. He was not sure why he felt compelled to hide that one fact from Lord Aizen, but it was something that he did nevertheless. However, his near constant visits to the Real World were beginning to grow tiresome on Aizen's part, with Ulquiorra having little to nothing to report.

And even if he did report, how could even the smooth-talking Ulquiorra explain how much time he had spent watching that one human? As he turned the corner towards his room, he was stopped abruptly.

"I think I know what's goin' on with you, Ulquiorra..." came the rasping voice of the fifth Espada. Nnoitra leaned casually against the wall, one hand on his hip, the other arm up, resting against the wall as if propping him.

Ulquiorra blinked slowly, his emerald eyes gazing up at Nnoitra. "Oh? Do you really? That surprises me that someone with your limited intelligence could make such claims.." In the instance of Nnoitra's shock, Ulquiorra moved to go around the taller Arrancar. "Do not bother me in the future, if you value your life."

Nnoitra's hand clenched into a fist as he swirled around, his grin gone. "Why you! You think you're hot shit, dontcha, just 'cause your Aizen's favorite!" Nnoitra went to attack Ulquiorra from behind, but as he did, Ulquiorra vanished, reappearing behind his attacker.

"Please. Do not waste such effort," the Fourth said as he knocked Nnoitra to the ground with little effort. "You're in my way. Move." With that, Ulquiorra left a speechless Nnoitra on the ground as he headed towards his own room. Once more he found his way blocked, his time by Gin.

"Aizen was askin' for ya. I sure hope you know what yer doin', Ulquiorra. I doubt even you can keep up this charade for much longer."

"What charade?" Ulquiorra asked.

Gin only smiled and shook his head, half-shrugging. Sighing, Ulquiorra turned around, his footsteps growing heavier and heavier as he made his way to the Throne Room of Las Noches. He was not sure why, since he had never before been so keen to stay away from Aizen.

"You wished to see me, Lord Aizen?" Ulquiorra said as he stood before Aizen's giant throne. The ex-captain rested his chin on his folded hands, leaning forward. His cold eyes regarded Ulquiorra with detachment even as his mouth was curved in a smirk.

"Yes, Ulquiorra. Please tell me what information your days in the World of the Living have brought to us."

Ulquiorra stared without flinching at the cool gaze. "Of course, Aizen-sama. The humans continue to fascinate me. The fact that they can be so blind to our world makes me truly think they are trash not worth the effort to protect, as Soul Reapers do. Even when strange things happen, or lesser hollows appear, they give no notice to the events. If one of them is killed, it's passed off as something else entirely."

Aizen was silent for a moment, never moving as Ulquiorra spoke. "Tell me," he finally said, "why do you really go to the Human World."

"Lord Aizen?"

"I'm curious to know. Humans are boring, and I know they cannot interest you." Still Ulquiorra said nothing. Although the emotionless Espada never lost his cool, he was, for once, speechless. Aizen sat back in his chair, his eyes closed. "I have given thought about what you shared with us a few days ago. I think I know my next move, and I want to make sure you will obey me."

"Of course, Lord Aizen, I will obey your wishes," Ulquiorra said automatically, folding his arm across his chest and bowing.

Aizen smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, Ulquiorra. Remember your promise when I tell you what your job will be."

These words perplexed even Ulquiorra, as he turned to leave Aizen's throne room. The Espada frowned. _What does he mean by this?_ he wondered. Everything he had done had been for Lord Aizen. He had never disobeyed direct orders, not exactly. Except for going to the Real World; that was for him alone.

But why did he go so often? Ulquiorra walked down the hall, pondering this. Why _did_ he visit Karakura so often? In his mind's eye, a flash of long, red hair appeared, and a pair of strong, determined eyes. The Cuarto stopped in his tracks, his hands tucked securely in his pockets. The image flashed again, stronger, this time. "That woman," he said softly, enraged that he should be thinking of her, and curious as to why.

Then, as he thought, his eyes widened, even though his facial expression hardly changed. "It can't be.. Impossible." Again her image appeared, and Ulquiorra raised a hand, covering his eyes and pulling his fingers across his forehead. Then, his hand clenched into a fist and without thinking, slammed his fist into the wall next to him, sending cracks all up and down the flawless stone.


	6. Hatred

Over the next few days Ichigo had gone missing. Rangiku, Ikkaku, and the others continued fitting in at Karakura High with Orihime, who was beginning to have her hands full. They had (miraculously) convinced Toshiro to attend Karin's elementary school, to which he reluctantly agreed that he would be less conspicuous there than in Karakura High. It was not just Rangiku and the others that convinced him. After meeting Karin, Ichigo's younger sister, Toshiro felt slightly responsible for her. Since she was especially susceptible to Hollow attacks, yet could do nothing about it, he was there in case one showed up.

"So, Orihime, are you doing okay?"

"Hm?" Orihime looked up, completely lost in thought, "Oh, yes! I'm doing just fine!"

Rangiku raised an eyebrow and shrugged. Orihime had not yet seemed to get over what Urahara had told her before. Unfortunately for Orihime, he was not alone in his opinion. Several of her friends thought it best that she stay out of the fight as well.

"Don't worry, Orihime! Like Urahara-san said, we'll have the Fourth Division on the battlefield ranked as powerful as Unohana-taicho!"

Orihime smiled and nodded. Above them suspended in the air, was Ulquiorra. He was masking his presence well, so that neither of the women below him could sense him. It would have been inconvenient if they noticed him. He watched the two, but his attention was all focused on the human. She smiled, a very cheerful smile, and he wondered why she was so happy.

"Well, Rangiku-san, I think I'm gonna go by the park. You can go home, if you like," Orihime said, faking a cheerful attitude.

Rangiku sighed. "Alright. Be careful, Orihime!" she said sternly.

Once again, Inoue faked a smile as she waved. "Of course!" Orihime continued smiling as Rangiku left the school. She wanted to see Ikkaku and Yumichika; they were actually planning on meeting anyways. Rangiku left, going the opposite way Orihime was.

Ulquiorra watched Rangiku leave, and then his gaze shifted to Orihime. Silently, he followed her, once more back to the park. "Is she going to look for them again?" he asked, annoyed at her persistence. Then, as they reached the park, Orihime paused.

Suddenly, she turned around, glaring up at Ulquiorra, who merely regarded her with interest. "How long did you know I was there?"

"You've been following me for more than a day; I just assumed you were here again. What do you want with me?"

Ulquiorra walked up to her. He was nearly her height; quite short, actually, but he obviously did not feel that was significant. "I am curious. Why are you so persistent in finding such a weak thing?"

Orihime shrunk back. "You mean.. Tsubaki?" When Ulquiorra said nothing, Orihime spoke again. "B-because he was very dear to me. Something that you would not know about."

"Was it.. your heart?" Ulquiorra asked slowly. He felt something inside, that made him angry. When she did not answer, he said, "I do not like to repeat myself."

"M-My heart? Tsubaki is a part of my soul... but," Orihime was confused. Why did Ulquiorra want to know? Why did he care. Unfortunately, Orihime had no way of fighting him, and there was no one around. Better to tell him what he wanted, since she knew she would be killed otherwise.

Ulquiorra seemed unimpressed. There was something in him that confused him; a relief when her answer was no. "Humans are such strange creatures." Ulquiorra reached out, touching Orihime's hair. "I do enjoy this color. It is quite unusual. Though I believe Rangiku-san has similar hair."

At the mention of Rangiku, Orihime found some resolve; slapping Ulquiorra's hand away and stepping back. "You are the one who tormented Rangiku-san while you held her capture! You treated my friend in such a horrible way, and I will not forgive you!"

Ulquiorra placed his hands into his pockets. "I admire your resolve. Not many people are brave enough, or stupid enough, to stand up to me like that." He looked at her, and stepped forward, causing Orihime to stumble backwards and fall down.

"Keep away from me!" Orihime said, and in a flash her Tri-Shield was up, causing Ulquiorra to stop for a moment. However, he merely reached out and touched the shield. Nothing happened.

"I don't believe you can do me harm with this device. You seem to think that this shield of yours can protect you?" As if to prove his point, Ulquiorra pressed a single finger to the center of the shield. It began to glow, and cracks formed under his finger. Orhime's eyes widened, frightened for just a moment. But before Ulquiorra could shatter the shield, she furrowed her brow and stood up.

"Santen Kesshun! I reject!" she almost shouted. The shield began to glow brighter, and the cracks that had appeared reversed themselves, strengthening the shield right under Ulquiorra's finger.

"Amusing, but a useless endeavor." At this, Ulquiorra pressed harder, applying a cero not large enough to cause any damage outside of the shield, but enough to shatter it. After all, if he did too much damage in the Real World, he really would have to answer to Aizen. Orihime gasped as the Santen Kesshun was destroyed.

"No!" she cried as the three fairies returned to the hairpins. "You guys!"

"As I said. A useless endeavor." That being said, Ulquiorra turned around, and as calmly as he always did, left Orihime in silence. Right before the Gargantua closed, he turned around to see her. She was crying. For a split second, emotion appeared on his face. His hand twitched at his side as if to reach out, but it did not move.

_Why do I care?_ he asked himself. He raised his hand to look at it. Ulquiorra realized something then, as he remembered the touch of her hair, and the sound of her crying. _I don't want to see her in pain. But what can I do?_ His eyes narrowed in anger as this realization came to him.

_I hate her. I hate her. But why do I hate her?_

"Because I am intrigued by her," was the answer he gave himself. It was the closest to the truth as the Espada was capable of making. He closed his eyes and regained his composure as Las Noches appeared in front of him.

AN: Alright, here's the next one!

I just want to apologize; for those of you waiting for this story, I have not seemed to have any good ideas lately, so my writing seems to be bad. WYWG received an amazing number of hits and reviews and I enjoyed writing it. I just can't seem to find my sparkle with Heart, but I will continue writing!

Probably in the next chapter or two I'll try to pick it up some; make it better and speed up the pace! I'm also trying to make the chapters a bit longer. They're usually about two pages in Writer, but I did not realize how short that actually was!

Thank you all again!


	7. The Plan

Orihime walked into her apartment, just in time to see perhaps the strangest thing she had ever come across; and she had seen some fairly strange things in the recent year or so.

_"This is Hitsugaya Toshiro, Captain of Squad 10."_

_"Yes, sir! I'll connect you right away!"_

_The large television-like object sparked a few times, and the static screen began to show an image of the Captain-Commander, taking Orihime by surprise._

_"Cap...Captain-Commander-san?"_

_The Captain-Commander ignored her, speaking directly to Hitsugaya. "You've finished dthe job quickly. Just what I've come to expect of you, Hitsugaya-taichou. There is only one reason for having you so urgently set up this line. Aizen Sousuke's true objective has been made clear."_

_This took everyone, Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, as well as Orihime by surprise. "Aizen's.. true objective!?"_

_Yamamoto nodded. "Indeed."_

_Orihime blinked, then started to turn and leave. "Um.. This sounds kind of important, so I'll just step outside!" she said as she reached for the door. She was stopped by Yamamoto, who told her to stay and listen. She swallowed and nodded. "Yes, sir."_

Orihime thought about what was said the evening before. She was growing more and more concerned with the passing events; and Ichigo was still not back from wherever he was. It had been two days since she had last seen Ulquiorra; but that was not so strange, and even a relief.

"Why am I thinking about him now?" Orihime demanded of herself. He was frightening, that was true. But he did not seem.. evil. Not like the first one she had fought, or the ones that had come to Karakura Town. Of course, he was evil, he had to be. He just did not seem.. malicious. Orihime shook her head, ridding herself of the thoughts. She stood up from her spot on the balcony.

She needed to find Ichigo.

That would be the easy part. Orihime was excellent at finding and following reiatsu; and it did not take long for her to detect the faintest hint of Ichigo's spiritual pressure. Feeling a bit more at ease, she followed it. It became stronger as she walked, until it led her down a street that seemed deserted; as if no one had ventured near it for a long time. Orihime stopped, as if unsure now, but she swallowed and kept going, eventually arriving at a building.

"A barrier..." she said quietly. She looked around; no animals were going near it. They could not. But she could, she knew, somehow, that she could get through it. She placed a hand on it timidly. _It's like my Shun Shun Rikka..._ she thought as she gently slid her hand through the barrier. When she opened her eyes, her face was set with determination and she finally slipped through the barrier, not shattering it or destroying it.

On the other side, she stumbled a bit from surprise. "Oh wow! I didn't think I could get in so easily! But still, that's a pretty amazing barrier!" Orihime straightened and smiled, her eyebrows raised and her hopes high once more. "Alright!" she said, clenching her fist. "Let's find Kurosaki-kun!"

Orihime looked around. "But.. which way do I go?" The building she had entered was, for the most part, one large room, with stairs leading up to an open loft. She looked around and scratched her head, starting her search. "Kurosaki-kun? Kurosaki-kun!" she asked the silence.

"Hmm, that's strange! I know I sense his reiatsu around here!" Orihime continued searching, and near the back of the room, finally found something interesting. A staircase, leading down, far down, similar to Urahara's shop. She swallowed hard. "That must be it!" Without anymore hesitation, she started down the stairs.

When she arrived, she was met by a group of people she had never seen. Well, Shinji was there.. Though she was not quite sure how she felt about seeing Shinji there. "Ah.. eheh," was all she managed to voice when they turned to look at her.

"A human!?" they said, almost together.

Orihime rubbed the back of her head, still unsure of what to say. Then she heard someone shout Ichigo's name, and she turned around in time to see the orange-haired shinigami fly towards the ground. "Kurosaki-kun!!"

Ichigo looked up. "Inoue?"

"Kurosaki-kun! I have to tell you something! It's important!" Orihime ran towards him, only to be blocked by a small girl with a mask on the side of her head.

"Hey! You think you can just waltz in here and pull Ichigo from his training! Don't think so, Princess!"

"H-Hiyori-san!?" Orihime said, remembering her name from their previous encounter. She laughed nervously, remembering how the girl threatened to kill her if it had not been for Shinji. _I guess I still haven't properly thanked Shinji-kun yet,_ Orihime thought. She turned towards Shinji, bowing. "Shinji-kun! Thank you for the other day! I forgot to tell you!"

Shinji raised an eyebrow, and Hiyori slammed her foot into the side of Orihime's face. "Don't turn around when I'm talking to you!"

Orihime fell to the ground, holding her cheek. "Ow! That hurt, Hiyori-san!"

At this point, Ichigo had stood up, and walked over to Hiyori. He picked her up by the jacket and turned her to face him. "Oi. Don't treat my friends like that," he said, then unceremoniously dropped Hiyori to the ground and went to Orihime. "What was it you had to tell me?"

Orihime looked up. "Ah.. Oh, yes! It's about Aizen-san!"

* * *

Aizen sat, as always, in his throne of Hueco Mundo. He had summoned Ulquiorra, intending to hold the Espada to his promise. As Ulquiorra entered the Throne Room, he bowed, as always.

"Ulquiorra, it's time to set my plan into motion. I have that job for you," Aizen narrowed his eyes but never lost his smile, "unless you are wanting me to entrust it to someone else?"

The Arrancar bowed again. "Of course not, Aizen-sama." He gazed up at Aizen with emerald eyes that held no emotion, but his mind was fuming. He already knew what Aizen was planning. And Aizen probably knew that Ulquiorra suspected. Aizen knew everything that happened in Las Noches, as well as the World of the Living. He knew the object of Ulquiorra's fascination, and choosing the Cuarto to do this assignment was both a punishment, and a test of loyalty.

Ulquiorra was torn. He had never been confused, and he hated not knowing what his soul wanted. On one hand, he did not want to have to be the one to carry out Aizen's orders. On the other hand, he could not entrust her to anyone else. Instead, he mildly and obediently awaited his Lord's command.

Aizen closed his eyes for a moment in a kind of nod. "Very well. I wish you to pay a visit to someone for me... It's been too long since Las Noches has had a guest."

* * *

AN: Oh my Aizen! Finally the plot begins! With my previous story it went fairly fast; I was working with a limited time frame in the anime/manga, so it was actually easier. Since I began Heart right were WYWG left off, I felt like I had to give a few chapters of intro. Things should speed up from here, I may have to do several time jumps, but hopefully not too many!

Please continue! And thank you!


	8. Uninvited Guest

Events began happening at an accelerated speed around Orihime. Everyone seemed to be preparing for the fight that was to come, except for her. At least, that was the case until her heart to heart with Rukia was cut short.

_"That Urahara bastard...He said something like that!? He won't get away with it!" Rukia said, steam seeming to rise around her as her temper rose._

_Orihime sat with her knees up, resting her arms on them. "It's okay. I've kinda.. calmed down since I talked to you." She looked up and smiled. "I'm sure it's better this way!" Rukia interrupted her by grabbing the front of her shirt._

_"It is not better this way!"_

Orihime sat across from Rukia, tears forming but not falling in her eyes. She smiled at Rukia when she told her that they would find a way for her to fight, together.

Of course, the moment was ruined when Hiyori dropped from the sky. Rukia looked at her, completely surprised. "What the..!?"

"Hiyori-chan!" Orihime said, but Hiyori only grabbed her, glaring.

"Hacchi's got business with ya!" she said and together they took off, leaving Rukia in the dust, thoroughly and completely confused.

When they arrived, Hiyori dropped Orihime on the ground as unceremoniously as Ichigo had to Hiyori the day before. Then Orihime was met by a monster of a man; though his size was frightening, Orihime was not scared. Although, she was a bit intimidated.

Orihime spent a good while there; at first it took her some time to get accustomed to Hacchi and the others, but when Hacchi offered to fix Tsubaki, Orihime was overcome with joy. She agreed in a flash, and soon the girl and her flower were reunited, and things were as they were. However, no matter the situation, Hacchi, too, believed Orihime should not fight.

"If your powers are like mine then you are not suited for fighting...In spite of this, do you want to fight?"

Orihime looked up at him. "Yes, I want to fight," she said. A few minutes later, with Tsubaki on her shoulder, Orihime stepped outside of the barrier once more. Tsubaki returned to her hairpin, and Orihime walked towards the street. Rukia was waiting for her.

Rukia smiled and looked at Orihime. "Inoue, let's go."

Orihime nodded. "...Alright. Let's go, Kuchiki-san!"

* * *

Ulquiorra and Yammy walked towards the room with the Hogyoku. When they reached the door, Ulquiorra spoke and they walked in. Aizen, as well as the rest of the Espada, turned to look at them.

"We were just finishing up," Aizen said as the box in front of him shattered, revealing a small Arrancar with blond hair. "What's your name, new comrade?"

"Wonderweiss... Wonderweiss Margera.."

After the creation was complete, Aizen turned to Ulquiorra, smiling. "Do you remember the directive I spoke to you about, Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra looked at Aizen, refusing to let his emotions reveal his thoughts, or vice versa. "Yes, sir."

"Put it into motion."

"Understood."

* * *

Back in the Soul Society, Rukia and Orihime trained extensively. Ukitake watched with a smile as the two friends battled, testing their limits and pushing those limits to the edge. Although Hisagi seemed to disapprove of Orihime's status as a human, Ukitake was rather glad Rukia had made a friend. Human or no, friendship was the strongest tie.

"If only this momentary tranquility could last a little longer," Ukitake said as a Hell Butterfly came towards him. His eyes widened as he received the message, and he was on his feet in a flash. "Kuchiki!" he shouted.

Rukia responded, "Yes sir! I just got the report!"

Ukitake ordered Rukia to the Senkaimon, and Orihime hurried to keep up, but was held back. Ukitake appeared, telling her that though it would take a while, she would be able to follow Rukia as soon as the passage was secure for her to travel. Looking down, Orihime reluctantly agreed.

When the time finally came for her to leave, she was brought to the Senkaimon. "Thank you very much!" she said as she turned to run through. She soon found herself escorted by two shinigami, however.

"We'll accompany you!" One said.

"Huh? That's okay.. really!"

"You're not an intruder anymore! You're a guest!" The other argued.

"Okay...." Orihime smiled, "In that case, if you would, please."

"Only two guards. How negligent," the cold, monotone voice sounded inside the gateway. Orihime and her two shinigami companions turned around in surprise, and fear covered the red-haired human's face as their opponent stepped forward. "I don't like to be rushed...when I'm talking to someone."

When one of the guards shouted a challenge, Orihime saw Ulquiorra shift, and she shouted to him to stop. Her words went unheeded, however, as the shinigami fell into a pool of blood. Ulquiorra looked at her, that emotionless face uncaring.

"That's right, girl. I'd like a word with you." Ulquiorra stood there, watching as Orihime summoned her healing barrier, but it did not stop him from attacking again, even as she warned her second guard to run. The Espada never believed that this would be the manner of their next meeting, but he had orders. Orders that had to be followed, no matter what.

* * *

AN: ALRIGHT! So, Ulquiorra doesn't exactly want to do this? Hmm.. what can we say about that?

As you all know this is an UlquiorraxOrihime fanfic, so it won't hurt to tell you. This last part of the chapter, starting at "Only two guards" and the rest was the first thing I wrote for _Heart_. I think, back when I started, I had originally wanted Orihime and Ulquiorra to share something by this point, which is where the statement "The Espada never believed that this would be the manner of their next meeting" came from, and originally Orihime would be surprised but partly glad to see him. However, as I wrote Ulquiorra, I realized that _Heart_ would be much, much longer than _Wherever You Will Go_. Mostly because, with GinxRan, I had something to build upon previously. With Ulquiorra and Orihime, nothing was really given until

***SPOILER***

Ulquiorra's death when he and Ichigo fought.

***END SPOILER***

Ulquiorra is very slow, and takes his time. Orihime would be afraid of Ulquiorra for obvious reasons, and would not open her heart. I don't think I could have really had anything happen between these two characters in such a short amount of time.


	9. Capture

We,

In the first,

Shall never blend together.

In the second,

Shall never hold the same form.

The third,

As he who has no eyes.

The fourth,

With no direction,

And the fifth,

Lies in the heart.

-Kubo Tite-sensei,

Bleach, vol 27

* * *

"Twelve hours..." Orihime said to herself as she sat in her room. "Twelve hours.. is not enough, to say goodbye to everyone.." _No.. I can't say goodbye to everyone. I can only.. visit one._

Orihime stood up and looked at the bracelet Ulquiorra had given her. "Can they really... tell if I go to more than one person?"

An hour later, Orihime pushed her way through a window. It was much like the time she had slipped through Hachigen's barrier. "Okay.. here we go.." she said as she finished coming through. "Eheh, I'm really here," she said, rubbing the back of her hair. Then she noticed the occupant of the bed on the far wall was not asleep.

Tatsuki sat on the bed against the wall, reading a book, with a towel draped over her head. "Tatsuki-chan..." Orihime said quietly. Tatsuki looked up, but, seeing no one, shrugged and returned to her reading. Orihime sighed. It would have been easier if she had been asleep. Instead, backed up towards the window. "I'm sorry, Tatsuki-chan," she whispered as she backed out of the window.

After that, Orihime looked around, tears streaming down her cheeks. Wiping them away, she ran towards the Kurosaki house. When she arrived, she did the same as before, only after a moment's hesitation. As she came towards the window, she paused again, and then stepped through.

On the other side, she was surprised. She had never been in Ichigo's room before. She smiled down at him, and started to kneel beside the bed when a noise startled her. "Huh?" she said as she saw Karin and Yuzu. Orihime smiled. "Guess they ate in here tonight."

* * *

Outside, Ulquiorra hung suspended in the sky, standing on nothing but air. Though there was nothing different about his usual expression, his lips were curved downwards in even more of a frown than normal. This was not what she was ordered to do; _I guess.. it would not hurt to allow her this?_ No, Aizen's orders were absolute. Ulquiorra flew down to the window, watching.

* * *

Orihime bent down beside Ichigo, healing his wounds. She leaned closer to him, and Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed. All of a sudden, she started crying, sitting beside Ichigo's bed.

"I'm so scared, Kurosaki-kun.. How can I go through with this? I.." Orihime gasped, and turned around. Ulquiorra was standing in Ichigo's bedroom. "U-Ulquiorra!"

"Your curfew is nearly up," he said. "And you've already said goodbye to one other person."

Orihime stood up. "I-I.. didn't!" she said. "I almost.. I almost said goodbye to-"

"It does not matter. You visited another, and now you are here."

The girl started crying even harder, and Ulquiorra stepped back, confused. Closing his eyes, he turned around. "You have three minutes," he said as he stepped outside. When he was on the other side of the window, he looked up at the moon. "Such a different moon than ours," he commented. He raised a hand and looked at it. Why did that face bother him so much? He did not find pleasure in her pain.

When three minutes had passed, Orihime appeared. Ulquiorra turned around, regarding her coldly. "We're leaving," he said bluntly, and snapped his fingers, opening the Gargantua.

* * *

"Welcome, Princess," Aizen said as Orihime was brought before him. "Now then. Orihime, in order to directly demonstrate your power..Please heal Grimmjow's left arm."

Both Orihime and Grimmjow were taken by surprise at Aizen's request, and Luppi began to laugh, crying out that it was impossible. Orihime calmly walked towards Grimmjow. "Soten Kishun..." she said softly as the two fairies appeared and created the shield around Grimmjow's arm, "I reject."

Grimmjow watched in silent amazement as the woman healed his arm. From out of nowhere, his arm began to reform completely. When it was finished, Orihime pulled back the healing barrier, and Grimmjow continued to stare. He brought his arm up and flexed it, thoroughly amazed. His blue eyes gazed at her. She had healed him, completely.

Ulquiorra stood there, silent, watching the two. He knew Orihime would have eventually healed Grimmjow; had they ever met outside of the throne room. Orihime could not stand to see anyone, friend or foe, injured like that; as Ulquiorra had easily observed.

"Woman," Grimmjow said, calling her attention. "Heal one more spot," he indicated with his thumb the scar on his back. Orihime looked at it, placing her hands on the skin.

"Soten Kisshun," she said.

Luppi was beside himself with rage. "What do you think you're doing, Grimmjow?" he demanded as the tattooed number 6 appeared. All that he received as an answer was Grimmjow's sadistic grin and the Arrancar's arm through his stomach. Luppi coughed up blood and glared up at Grimmjow, cursing him.

Grimmjow only laughed and raised his hand, a cero appearing in the palm. "Good bye, _former_ number Six!" he said as Luppi was practically disintegrated.

Orihime looked on in horror, backing up a few paces. Ulquiorra watched Grimmjow, and watched her. Was this necessary? Was it necessary to taunt her like this?

Aizen smiled. "Ulquiorra. Please show the Princess to her room." Ulquiorra bowed low, not a beat missed.

"Yes, Aizen-sama," he said, and stood close to Orihime. He turned to the side, regarding her for a moment, and gestured towards the door. "This way," he commanded, and turned around. Fearing something dreadful, Orihime could do nothing but follow. Ulquiorra looked at her out of the corner of his eye several times, but said nothing. Ulquiorra found that he could not think of the words to say.

As they walked down a long, white, corridoor, Orihime paused at a door, and looked at it for a moment. "Rangiku-san," she said quietly. _This must be where they kept Rangiku-san,_ Orihime thought as she reached out to touch the door. Before her fingers touched it, however, an incredibly heavy reiatsu descended upon her, giving off the feeling that whoever was in there did not want to be disturbed. Orihime's eyes widened and for a moment she felt like she could not breath.

Suddenly Ulquiorra reached out and grabbed her wrist, keeping it from ever reaching the door and pulling it back, forcing Orihime to turn and look at him. He regarded her silently and pulled her away from the door, out of the oppressive reiatsu, before dropping her wrist and continuing on his way.

"Yes," he said to her silent question. "That is where Matsumoto Rangiku was held. I would not go near there if I were you," he added.

"Bu-but why?"

"Commander Gin does not take kindly to others invading his space." Ulquiorra stopped and turned to look at her. His emerald gaze was intriguing, and Orihime caught herself staring. The Arrancar blinked, releasing Orihime from their hold. "Now then, we will continue."

* * *

AN: Orihime is finally in Hueco Mundo! What devilish schemes await her here?


	10. Allegiance

Orihime stood, looking out the tiny window of her cell into the eternal night of Las Noches. Although her room was quite large and surprisingly comfortable, her door remained locked from the outside. It was, in a sense, a prison. She stood there in her school uniform, and sighed. For some reason, though, Ulquiorra's face suddenly appeared in her mind's eye. She was so confused by him, most of all. He seemed to have no emotions when he spoke to others, but when he came to talk to her, that time in the Dangai, he seemed almost regretful.. And when he caught her at Ichigo's house, he seemed… enraged. No, enraged was not the word. Jealous, maybe? Envious?

Of course not, not Ulquiorra. He felt nothing. Suddenly Orihime gasped as her hairpins began to glow. In a flash of light, the six tiny flowers appeared, hovering around her. Shun'o, as usual, took the lead, coming up to Orihime with a saddened expression on his feminine face.

"Orihime-chan," he said quietly. "What are you going to do?" Ayame, who together with Shun'o had healed Grimmjow's left arm, was behind him, quiet, her face greatly saddened as well. The three who created a tri shield seemed supportive; only Tsubaki was off by himself, sulking in quiet anger.

"I… I don't know," Orihime admitted. "I came here to protect everyone. Without me, they won't have to worry about my safety," she said, tears coming more and more as she continued, "and I won't get in the way." Orihime sank to the floor, covering her face in her hands. The flowers, except for Tsubaki, followed her, floating around her. Shun'o and Ayame went up to Orihime, Shun'o placing a hand on Orihime's head.

"Well," he said, putting on a smile. "We'll think of something!" He looked around. "I'm sure we'll find some way to get out of here, don't worry, Orihime-chan!"

"Typical," spat Tsubaki from a few feet away, interrupting the silence and Orihime's crying. Orihime looked up, and Tsubaki's remarks drew disapproving glares from his brothers and sisters. He sat with his back to Orihime, but he looked over his shoulder for a moment. "You're going to give up. I should have expected such, coming from you. You're not a fighter."

"Hey, leave Orihime alone!" Lily said, putting her hands on her hips and going over to Tsubaki. "Orihime's frightened, and quite frankly, I would be too if I were in this situation! At least _we_ didn't get destroyed!"

"What'd you say?" Tsubaki growled, turning on Lily.

"You heard me! Orihime's probably afraid of losing you again, since you were so easily destroyed the last time!"

Tsubaki, contrary to his usual habit, did not start shouting. Instead, he floated there, still and calm, but in deadly kind of way. His arms began to glow and it seemed as if his own shield was appearing around him. "You wanna say that again?" he demanded.

"Now hold on!" Hinagiku shouted, but he did not intervene until it was too late. Lily, repeating what she had said, caused Tsubaki to fly towards her, his shield sharp and ready. Shun'o and Ayame gasped, but Baigon stepped in, getting in between Tsubaki's Koten Zanshun and Lily. When Tsubaki hit Baigon, a small field in the space between them began to glow, much like Orihime's Santen Kesshun, but much smaller, causing Tsubaki's attack to bounce harmlessly off.

"Tsubaki! Calm down," he said as both their shields disappeared.

"It's her fault!" Tsubaki shouted, pointing and glaring at Orihime. "If she wasn't so weak of heart, my powers would be every bit as effective as all of yours! I'm her only means of offense yet I'm the weakest! I should be the one to protect her more than any of you, yet I can do nothing, because of _her_!"

Orihime's eyes were wide as she stared at Tsubaki. Shun'o came up to his brother. "Orihime is not weak of heart. She just doesn't like to see others get hurt, especially not because of her. The time will come when she needs you more than any of us."

Their talks were interrupted, however, when the door opened. The fairies immediately returned into their hairpin state, falling to the ground with a lifeless click. Orihime turned around slightly, still sitting, as Ulquiorra walked into the room. His face, as usual, was seemingly emotionless. Orihime looked at him, her eyebrows coming together in a frightened way as he tossed her a bundle. She gasped as it fell in front of her.

"Pick it up," he ordered. Orihime looked at him with a frightened determination, but he only closed his eyes and walked forward. She shrank back from him but he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to her feet, handing her the clothes directly. He looked at her, then hastily let go of her wrist and turned around.

"That is your uniform. You will discard what you are wearing now and put that on." Orihime looked at him, then at the white dress he had given her. When she said nothing, Ulquiorra turned. "Well? I said put it on."

Orihime gasped and felt a blush come to her cheeks. "Ah.. W-well," she started to say, but did not get a chance. Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder at her, then sighed.

"I will wait outside," he said as he walked across the room, opened the door, and left. Orihime could still sense his reiatsu outside of the door, but he was making no move to come back in. Swallowing hard, Orihime did as she was told, switching out her school uniform for the white dress.

She gasped at the material. It was actually quite comfortable, and fit her perfectly well. Outside, Ulquiorra stood beside the door, his eyes closed and his hands in his pockets. Why had he even suggested she change while he was still there? Although he was perfectly in his rights to do so, why did he leave? He gave her privacy.. Something that was not a right, nor was it exactly a privilege.

He put a hand to his forehead, then turned around to walk back in, regardless of whether she was ready or not. When he entered the room, he saw Orihime gasp and turn around, even though she was fully clothed. So many things ran through Ulquiorra's mind, what he wanted to say.

But instead, he said, "Turn around." Slowly, Orihime did so, blushing under Ulquiorra's scrutinizing stare. For some reason, seeing her in that dress angered him. He did not like seeing her in it. Nor did he like what he was about to do.

"By putting on that uniform, you hereby swear your allegiance to Lord Aizen," he stated without a pause or an emotion in his voice. Orihime gasped. "Your body, mind, and soul," he continued, "all belong to Aizen-sama."

_But your heart… I want your heart to belong to me._ Ulquiorra thought this, but did not say it. Even thinking those words made him almost shake with anger. But he had to control himself. Ulquiorra was a master of perception and a master of hiding his true thoughts from anyone, even Aizen. Because of this, Ulquiorra hated this woman. All the people around him seemed to have no care for anyone but themselves. They were selfish, worthless beings. But this woman… she seemed to have no care for herself, only others.

"Is that what a heart is?" Ulquiorra asked quietly, but Orihime did not understand what he said. The Arrancar then looked at her curiously. "What is a heart?" he asked suddenly, taking Orihime by surprise. Ulquiorra continued to stare at her, waiting patiently for her answer with his emotionless face.

* * *

A/N: Oh my! I apologize once again for the wait! But thank you everyone who is continuing to read my updates! I'm so glad to be getting back into the writing. I might be taking a semester off to try and write not just for fun but for work, either way I should have more time now that I'm not cramming J

Anyways, I'm finally updating! I've written this, as well as chapter 11 which will be out soon!


	11. Questions

Orihime blinked. "What? A.. heart?" The girl had no idea what he meant, or how to answer. "A heart is.. When you care deeply for another person. And do not want to see them hurt or sad." Then she glared at Ulquiorra. "Something that you and the rest of your friends would know nothing about," she added, surprising even herself with her words. Surprising her so much, in fact, that she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

Ulquiorra walked towards her, reaching a hand out to touch her hair, but Orihime shrank back. This caused Ulquiorra to pause, and look at his own hand as if it had done what it did of its own accord. Then he looked back at her. "Do you have a heart?" he asked.

The girl seemed shocked by his question. Immediately her face turned red, and she looked away. "I…" she began, then stopped, and looked at him. "Everyone has a heart," she said. "All humans.. And shinigami… and…" Orihime swallowed again, remembering her brother after he had died, "and souls.. Are born with hearts."

"I see…" Ulquiorra said, then reached up to the high collar of his own uniform, drawing the zipper down slowly. Orihime stepped backwards when he revealed the hole in the center of his chest. "As you can see… I was not born with a heart. We hollow do not have them."

Ulquiorra turned around and began to leave, but before he reached the door, he paused. "I want to learn what this thing is… and why you humans put so much faith and hope into something so… transparent."

"It is not transparent," Orihime said. "The heart is something real, right here." She placed her hands over her chest. "The heart is something that loves unconditionally, that wants to see another person always safe and happy."

His eyes widening, Ulquiorra turned around in an uncharacteristic display of emotion. He remembered his conversation with Commander Gin before Nel brought Rangiku to the Real World:

_"What is she to you?" he asked. "The woman."_

_Gin stopped, his back to Ulquiorra. "She is..." Memories flooded his mind of them as children, then in the Gotei 13 together... He remembered the night he fought Hitsugaya, and her pleading with him to withdraw his sword. "She is... my heart." Gin said softly before closing the door on the Arrancar._

_Ulquiorra's eyes widened just slightly. Slowly he put a hand to the hole in his chest. "Your... heart..."_

In the same gesture he made then, Ulquiorra put a hand over his hollow hole. "Something that loves…" Without saying another word, Ulquiorra stuffed his hands in his pockets and stormed out of Orihime's room, almost slamming the door shut behind him, and causing Orihime to jump at the sound. With Ulquiorra's intimidating presence gone, Orihime sank to the floor with relief. Sighing, she reached over and picked up the hairpins, placing them back in their hair. They were silent once again, and Orihime had never felt more alone than she did now.

"Well done, Ulquiorra," Aizen said from his large throne in the main hall of Las Noches. Ulquiorra bowed. "How is our princess finding her stay?"

Ulquiorra remained silent, unsure how to approach the subject. Instead, he said, "She is quite intriguing. But I think she will be easily broken, Aizen-sama."

Smirking, Aizen peered down at Ulquiorra. He was silent for a long time. "That is good to hear, Ulquiorra. You have served me well, exceeded my expectations." The slightest increase of reiatsu could be felt by Ulquiorra. Not enough to drop him to his knees, but enough to intimidate. "I expect you to continue performing admirably, Ulquiorra."

"Yes, Lord Aizen," Ulquiorra said, bowing, and turning to leave, but he paused, and turned around. "Forgive me for questioning, Lord Aizen," he began, bowing again. "Am I to be in charge of the woman for the remainder of her stay?"

Aizen looked thoughtfully at Ulquiorra, a smile on his lips. "Hmm.. I guess you will be, Ulquiorra. I could not trust her with anyone else." His use of words was carefully selected, and Ulquiorra bowed again, finally leaving.

When he had left, Gin walked up to Aizen. "You sure it's such a good idea? To let him be in charge of her?"

"He won't try anything. I know him too well, and I know how I made him. In fact… it's safer if we allow him to keep watch on her. He can be in charge of her well being and see that she, or anyone else, doesn't overstep their bounds."

Gin frowned slightly, though Aizen did not notice. He was too busy calculating his next move.

Ulquiorra approached Orihime's door, carrying a tray of food. She was likely getting hungry. She, after all, needed to eat the same as Lord Aizen and the others. The Arrancar paused outside of her room, hearing a sound coming from the inside. Frowning even more than usual, Ulquiorra opened the door and walked in. Orihime gasped and stood up. Her eyes were red, but she quickly wiped away any tears that might have been.

Ulquiorra regarded her silently, before he walked over and placed the tray on a small table that was in the cell. Then he turned around, and walked towards the redhead slowly. She gasped when he reached out to touch her cheek, not with a reassuring touch, but with a confused and questioning touch. The kind of touch that a child might give a strange surface; light and fast, in case the surface were too hot to touch.

"Does your 'heart' make you cry?" he asked quietly. Orihime blushed, but could not look away from his gaze. "Why put so much faith in something that causes you so much pain?"

"B-Because… it is what gives us so much joy at the same time.." was Orihime's answer. However, this answer did not seem to appease Ulquiorra, for he frowned again, causing Orihime to shrink back.

The two were silent for a long time, until Ulquiorra turned around. "Eat. If you don't eat you will lose your strength. If you lose your strength you will be of no use, nor could you do anything to help yourself. I suggest you eat," he continued. With that said, he started to leave, but something compelled Orihime to reach out.

"W-wait.." she said, almost inaudibly. She gasped when she heard herself say this. What had compelled her to say such a thing? It was probably being all alone in this room. She had only been here a day, and yet she felt so alone. Even if it was Ulquiorra..

Ulquiorra turned around. "What is it, woman?" he asked. On the outside, he was cold and uncaring, but something inside of him wanted her to ask him to stay.

Orihime gasped, then averted her gaze, looking down. "N-Nothing," she said. Ulquiorra closed his eyes and left. Orihime sank to the floor again, as if she had just been released from a spell. Ulquiorra stood silently outside her door, until Gin walked up.

"I see you're here again, Ulquiorra." he remarked with a smirk.

Ignoring him, Ulquiorra walked away. "Be careful. You know what happens to the 'heart' when it finds someone it wants to get close to."

"Don't make the mistake of thinking I care for her, or that I am weaker than you." This was the only response Ulquiorra gave as he walked down the hall, leaving Gin to turn and walk the other way.

* * *

A/N: OMG GAIZ I just read the latest Bleach chapter a few days ago and o_o is all I have to say! If any of you who are reading Heart read my fanfic Wherever You Will Go, you all know my view of Gin and Rangiku's relationship! I absolutely LOVE GinxRan, which is why I wrote that fanfic that spawned this one! I always thought that Gin would *SPOILER ALERT* betray Aizen because he loved Rangiku! I was like bawling when I read it u_u No joke. *END SPOILER*

I always believed Gin and Rangiku would be together, and I always thought that Gin's reasons for joining Aizen were noble, and that's actually not the evil, twisted fox most people think he is n_n

GINXRAN FOREVER!


	12. Shades of Grey

Ulquiorra stood in the center of his "room" in Las Noches. He stood staring out at the night sky. Everything had always been black and white for him. Always.

Hollow. Shinigami. Good. Evil. Life. Death. There was no in between; at least, not until she showed up. Now he seemed to be questioning everything he had ever known. He was a hollow, and a shinigami. He was alive, yet he was also not among the living. Never had he before seen so many shades of gray. Love. Hate. These two were the hardest things to comprehend. He had always hated Gin, but he had never really hated shinigami. He supposed he hated Grimmjow, and perhaps his hatred even extended to Aizen. He also could not really say what was good, and what was evil… Everyone had their own points of view, as did he. Good and evil were quickly fading and merging.

Love was one of those shades of gray that Ulquiorra had such a difficult time comprehending. Though he supposed, rationally, logically, if he and the other Arrancar were capable of hatred, were they then not also capable of love? Neliel Tu had proven that point to him, shown Ulquiorra that Arrancar like himself could love just as anyone. Perhaps that was where this had all started.

"Damn," Ulquiorra said softly. "Why can't I get her out of my head?" He knew Aizen's plans for her, he knew what would happen to her. He did not want to see that happen. Perhaps, with a little help, he might be able to fix it. But then, look what happened to Neliel Tu.

Frustrated and angry, Ulquiorra turned around and walked out of his quarters, with the purpose of going to visit Orihime again. No, not visit… torment. For that's what he always ended up doing whenever he went to her. He paused for a brief moment, but continued walking. Something seemed to have just broken into Hueco Mundo. The Cuarto felt it; and he was sure the others felt it too. However, he was unconcerned with it, believing that even if someone had been powerful enough to invade Hueco Mundo, they must be mad, and would certainly not last all the way to Las Noches. So, he placed that knowledge in the back of his mind.

Ulquiorra had begun to walk towards Orihime's room, when suddenly he received word that Aizen was calling a meeting. Frowning slightly at this inconvenience, Ulquiorra resigned himself to going through with the meeting. After all, it was Aizen who called it, and only the Espada were going to be present.

The meeting was, in short, a waste of time. At least, to Ulquiorra. He had already known about the intruders a few minutes before this meeting had been called, and he seemed quite sure that the rest of the Espada had known as well.

The Espada stalked down the hall towards Orihime's room. When he reached it, he entered, of course without knocking._ "There is news," he said. "Your friends… have invaded Hueco Mundo."_

_Orihime gasped. "Why?" she asked._

_"To rescue you. To them," he said, "no other reason is necessary."_

_"In order… to save me?"_

_"Correct."_

_The conversation continued, leaving Orihime even more at a loss of what to do. Why had they come? Did they not learn anything? Was she unable to get the message to leave her be? How was she supposed to save them… if they were always coming to her rescue?_

_Ulquiorra watched her carefully. Although she had not hesitated in saying that she now lived for Aizen's ambitions, he saw in her eyes a sadness that was even greater than the one before. It angered him, this sadness he could not understand._

No, that was not quite it. What angered him most was that he knew her thoughts were now with that shinigami who she had said goodbye to. Without another word, Ulquiorra turned around and left her room. He had some business to take care of.

* * *

Ulquiorra felt the battle between the female soul reaper and Aaroniero. He did not care. Either for her passing or his fellow Espada's. He only had one objective, and that objective was flying towards the fallen shinigami's reiatsu with alarming speed.

_Ulquiorra stood at the top of the stairs. Ichigo felt the suppressing reiatsu and looked up. "Ulquiorra..!" he said._

_"You remember my name? Although I don't remember telling it to you." So this was the person that Orihime's "heart" belonged to. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes. He would see to it that her heart died here and now, no matter what the consequences would be. He would die… and she would forget about him. Only he, Ulquiorra, would have a place in her thoughts._

_"Rukia Kuchiki is dead." Ulquiorra said. "To be exact, she and the Noveno Espada defeated each other."_

_Ichigo glared at him. "I don't wanna hear anymore of this bullshit!" he said. Suddenly he stepped past Ulquiorra, who only continued to goad him. When Ichigo said he had no reason to fight him, Ulquiorra turned to him._

_"What if I were to tell you that I brought Inoue Orihime here in the first place?" the Espada said coolly. "Now do you have a reason.. To fight me?"_

_Then the fight began. Ulquiorra watched without interest as Ichigo released his Bankai. In fact, he was not merely uninterested… he was completely unimpressed. That was until, however, Ichigo revealed something Ulquiorra had never seen before, and even brought a slight expression to his pale face. His eyes widened when Ichigo brought out his mask. A hollow's mask._

_So the fight began. At first, Ichigo seemed to gain the upper hand, surprising Ulquiorra more than once. But Ulquiorra would not back down. He was fighting for more than just Las Noches. He wanted to erase this man, erase his existence, and annihilate his memory._

_One of Ichigo's first attacks pushed Ulquiorra back, and forced him to block with both hands. "Impossible…" he said, right before the attack seemed to overtake him. Ichigo relaxed, thinking the battle was won, as Nel ran up to him._

_"My, my…" came the quiet, cold voice of Ulquiorra just as Ichigo and Nel started to leave. "I wasn't able to stop it even using both hands. That surprised me a bit." Ulquiorra stepped forward, reveling silently in the surprise on Ichigo's face when he saw his enemy had not been put down. "Disappointing."_

_Then Ulquiorra raised a finger and pointed it at Ichigo, as a bright green orb began to grow on the tip of the finger. When it reached a certain size, Ulquiorra fired it, destroying the far wall in the process. When the dust died down a bit, Ichigo was running at top speed, Nel in tow, away from Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra smirked slightly and caught up with ease. Ichigo stopped running to confront him._

_Ulquiorra looked down at the shinigami, feeling a sense of pride and grim satisfaction with his obvious victory. Without warning, Ulquiorra stabbed Ichigo through the chest. "Kurosaki Ichigo," he said, "You have absolutely no chance of defeating me." He watched him and drew out his hand, causing Ichigo to fall backwards, blood spilling from the wound. "A path to victory doesn't exist." _Then, he said to himself: "Nor does a path to Orihime." He added this as Ichigo fell to the ground. Ulquiorra left without a word. If Orihime had not figured out already that Ichigo was dead, then he would certainly have to break the news to her.

He walked all the way to her room with unwavering footsteps. Something made his pace quicken. He wanted to tell her what had transpired. Even he, the Fourth Espada, did not know the reason for this, only that he was compelled to see her reaction when he told her that her "heart" was dead. But then… she would undoubtedly cry again. This thought caused his footsteps to slow down considerably. It was as if all he could do was hurt her.

Lost in his thoughts, he did not notice at first, the reiatsu of the two arrancar who were cautiously approaching Orihime's room.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I took some liberties with this chapter, and I will be doing so with the next chapter as well! Because this is a fanfic, it isn't completely canon, so in order to move the story along for UlquiorraxOrihime, I wanted to make a real reason why Ulquiorra confronted Ichigo, and here it is! As you can see a good bit of this was actually taken directly from the manga chapter. Everything in italics was taken directly from Tike Kubo's manga, I lay no claim to it!


	13. Who Are You Calling For? pt1

_Ulquiorra…_ Orihime could not stop thinking about the last thing he said. Was it just some sort of trick? Orihime had never been good at reading Ulquiorra. He always kept any emotions he may have had deep down, beneath the surface. She did not know what to make of it at all.

Maybe, just maybe.. There was some good inside Ulquiorra. Perhaps if she could make him realize this, he would abandon Aizen. Orihime sighed. No, that was asking for, and hoping for, far too much. The Espada, especially Ulquiorra, would never go against Aizen Sosuke. A sound came from outside her door and it opened slowly.

Orihime gasped and turned around, "Ulquiorra?" she asked, certain it was him. Why was she so happy it was him, though? Did he not already tell her that her friends had come to rescue her? No doubt he was getting ready to fight them himself.

Orihime watched in fright as the two female Arrancar entered her room. They had the looks of utmost hatred on their faces, and the glare they gave her caused Orihime to step backwards several steps. Loly and Menolly just continued to advance on her, taunting her.

"You think you're so special, don't you!" the black-haired Arrancar cried. "Ulquiorra-sama is spending so much time with you instead of his own Fraccion! You like that, don't you?"

Loly kicked Orihime over, causing the human to fall. It was true, Orihime had to admit it to herself. She felt so alone here, so even the cold Ulquiorra was better than no one at all. But lately he had been confusing her… he was no longer frightening, he seemed, to Orihime at least, just as lost as she was. And then of course there were all those times he visited her while she was still in Karakura.

Loly continued to kick and abuse her, Orihime not raising a hand to stop her. She understood now; they were jealous of her, and that is why they hated her. Not only because of her special treatment by Aizen, but by Ulquiorra. It seemed like he was always here.

He was not here now. He was probably confronting Ichigo and the others right then, no doubt she was the furthest thing from his mind.

The pain was unbearable, but she would not fight them. When Loly paused for just a moment from her assault, Orihime struggled to get up. Then she heard the two females gasp.

"Ulquiorra-sama!" they said together. Orihime's eyes widened, and she felt a strong hand on her arm, giving her support. It did not offer help, it forced her to take it. Ulquiorra pulled her up forcibly, but surprisingly his touch was gentle. Orihime looked at him with surprise, a blush coming to her cheeks as he steadied her. Then he turned to Loly and Menolly.

"What are you two doing here?" he demanded, his emerald eyes piercing them.

Immediately they sank to their knees. "Forgive us, Ulquiorra-sama," Menolly said. However, he would take no excuses, and it was likely he would not forgive them. Without deeming it necessary to give an answer, Ulquiorra fired a cero straight at Loly.

"Loly!" Menolly shouted, then looked from her to Ulquiorra, her eyes wide and afraid. "Ulquiorra-sama… please!" Ulquiorra walked towards her, then lifted her up by the collar.

"I have no use for Fraccion who disobey me," he said. "You are trash." He started to fling her away but something caught his arm. He looked beside him in surprise, to see Orihime standing there, her eyes pleading with him, her hands on his arm. "You don't care if they go on unpunished, after what they did to you?"

Orihime started to say something, but found she could not, and so she let go of his arm. However, Ulquiorra simply dropped Menolly to the ground, and when she realized she was free, she ran out of the room, forgetting Loly. Ulquiorra looked at her, and saw the bruises on her face. "How can you have such compassion for creatures like them?" he mused.

"I don't hate them," Orihime said. "I understand why they did this. They do not understand me, and so they hate me. But I," she paused for a moment. "Don't like to see people get hurt. It does not matter who they are."

"I see," Ulquiorra returned, though he was more confused than ever, as he watched the human kneel down beside Loly and start to heal her. "Why do you waste your energy healing that piece of trash instead of your own wounds?"

"My wounds don't matter." Orihime continued to heal Loly. "I am here to heal others, no matter who they may be. That's why I have this power." When Loly was fully revived, she beat against the shield, demanding she be let out. When the shield disappeared, she stood up, looking as if she was about to kill Orihime. She stopped, however, when she realized Ulquiorra was still there.

"Ulquiorra-sama!" she gasped, backing up, holding her hands in front of her.

"You have been given a second chance, I suggest you use it well and do not disobey me again." This was all he said to her, as he watched the black-haired woman run out of the room. Then he walked over to Orihime, who stood facing him. Timidly, he reached out to touch one of the cuts on her face. He found himself not capable of telling her now that he had killed the person who had come to rescue her.

"They will not take you away," he said instead. The unspoken words _from me_ were obvious. "You will stay here, and no matter what happens, I will see to it you do not leave." With that, he dropped his hand and backed away.

"You're… wrong…" Orihime said quietly. "Kurosaki-kun will come get me. He always does."

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed just slightly, and he frowned. "Won't you ever forget about him? Will your "heart" ever cast him aside?" When Orihime did not answer, Ulquiorra closed his eyes and walked towards the door. "Forget it," he said in such an uncharacteristic way. He fought the urge to say, _Won't you replace him in your mind with myself_? She would find out sooner or later that Kurosaki was dead, killed by him, and in that instant she would hate him even more than she perhaps already did.

He could not tell her, and he probably would not.

* * *

Orihime fought with her emotions each time Ulquiorra left her alone. She wanted Ichigo to come save her, did she not? She wanted nothing more than to leave this hell hole, hand in hand with the person she loved. That person was Ichigo, was it not? Orihime was not quite so sure anymore. Whether she willed it or not, whether she would admit it, Ulquiorra swarmed her thoughts, every time he came near her, her heart beat so fast. Surely it was only because she was frightened, or maybe she mistook his saving her from Loly and Menolly as something else..

Suddenly she was ripped from her confusion as the door opened again, but this time it was neither Menolly nor Loly, but it was not Ulqiorra either. She gasped when the figure entered her room, and she backed up against the wall. "What do you want?" she demanded.

Nnoitra grinned. "I just wanted to come see what was so special about ya that Ulquiorra spends so much time here," the Espada said.

"Please leave," Orihime said, narrowing her eyes. Nnoitra, however, only advanced.

* * *

*bows deeply* I am SO sorry for such a long delay! I really do have no excuse this time! I promise I'll try to do better!

Anyways, I'm gonna have to speed things up, because this is becoming too drawn out. My last few fanfics would be wrapping up about now, but damn Ulquiorra and his emotional range of a spork, is making it difficult to write this relationship while keeping it somewhat realistic!


	14. Who Are You Calling For? pt2

"He's the one who killed that brat, you know," Nnoitra said, his grin becoming wider as he advanced even more. Orihime was up against the wall now. One of her hairpins glittered, but Nnoitra brought his giant scythe-like weapon to level with her face, causing her to gasp. "What? Don't believe me? I could take you to where that brat lays dead." His smile twisted into a scowl.

"I wouldn't try it," he growled. Then, still scowling, he lowered his blade and approached her, grabbing her chin. "I bet you're a little slut, ain'tcha? After all, even Ulquiorra's gotta have some need for you, and I bet there's a good reason why he comes here so often." Nnoitra's grin was sickening. Orihime gasped and tried to look away but Nnoitra grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him as he leaned in closer.

"Ulquiorra!" Orihime gasped, closing her eyes tight. But he was probably far away by now, even though it had only been a short time since she had seen him. As if in response, a large red cero shot towards Nnoitra, hitting him and blasting him through the wall. Orihime sank to the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Tch, even you can get caught off guard," came a familiar voice. Orihime turned to look at Grimmjow as he walked in through the hole he blasted in the wall. "Woman, let's go," he said, pulling her gently, much to Orihime's surprise, to her feet. Nnoitra, however, was not finished. He climbed out of the rubble created from Grimmjow's cero and scowled.

"Even you want a piece of her," Nnoitra said. "She must be one hell of a-" his words were cut off by Grimmjow planting a kick in his side; at least, that's where he aimed. Nnoitra blocked it with his zanpakuto, grinning as he did so. "Sorry, didn't quite catch that." Grimmjow sneered and acted as if to throw a punch, but instead, ripped Nnoitra's eye patch from his head. Orihime screamed when she saw, but Grimmjow was quick, tossing a tiny cube into Nnoitra's hollow hole.

"You fu-" he started, but was sucked in.

"Tch." Grimmjow turned back to Orihime. "Come on, let's get outta here before Ulquiorra finds us." Without saying anything else, he grabbed her by the arm.

Not very long after, Grimmjow appeared at the spot where Ichigo lay dead. Nel looked up at him, her nose red and her face covered in tears. The Espada scowled and tossed the bundle he carried over his shoulder, releasing Orihime. When she saw Ichigo, her eyes grew wide. _So it was true… Everything Nnoitra said was true._ Suddenly her gag and bindings were taken off, and Grimmjow sat down on a stone behind her.

"Hurry up and heal him," he demanded. Although Orihime at first refused, she eventually summoned her Soten Kisshun, and began reversing time. She did not get very far when Ulquiorra appeared. Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. "Shit!"

"Return the woman to me," Ulquiorra said. "You step out of line here, Grimmjow."

In defiance, Grimmjow fired off a cero, but Ulquiorra deflected it. The two exchanged blows, each one landing several good hits, before they realized Ichigo was regaining consciousness.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime cried, causing Ulquiorra to frown even more. Grimmjow would pay for this- not just taking Orihime, but also allowing her to revive the one person who threatened Ulquiorra's place in her heart.

Suddenly Ulquiorra disappeared, a sonido taking him straight to Orihime. He grabbed her arms, and before Ichigo knew what was happening, the two vanished.

Grimmjow watched them go, but soon lost interest. Orihime had done what he wanted- managed to revive Ichigo completely. He turned his mad gaze onto the Shinigami. "Well now, Kurosaki! What do you say we have that rematch!"

"Sorry, Grimmjow, I don't have time for you!"

"I'd make time, if I were you!" Grimmjow shouted, firing a cero at Ichigo.

"Dammit," Ichigo said under his breath. He did not have time to fight Grimmjow, but it looked like it was a fight he could not avoid.

Ulquiorra and Orihime returned to her room, and Ulquiorra released her. She immediately turned around and backed away, sinking to the floor against the wall. "So it was true… why did you kill him? Why did you kill Kurosaki-kun?"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes and came towards her. Crouching down so that he was eye level, he said softly, "Because I wanted your mind… your heart… to be mine alone." These words caused Orihime to look at him, her eyes wide. Ulquiorra took this moment to lean in, and surprising not only Orihime but himself as well, pressed his lips to hers.

Orihime was surprised by his sudden action, but did not move away. Instead, she did just the opposite of what her mind told her she should do, she let it continue. She closed her eyes, and everything else seemed to melt away.

What seemed like minutes, but was only seconds, later, the two broke the kiss. Ulquiorra made no move to touch her, the two merely looked at each other, before coming back together again, slowly, timidly. _So this is that feeling,_ Orihime thought, _this is the feeling which I thought I had felt for Kurosaki-kun._ It was as if she now saw that perhaps her 'love' for Ichigo was more of an admiration of his strength, a reliance on his friendship. She realized, this feeling that was welling up in her heart was the reason why, when both Loly and Menolly attacked her, and when Nnoitra came, she had called not Ichigo's name, but Ulquiorra's.

_So this is what heart feels like,_ Ulquiorra thought. _The feeling of wanting that person all to yourself, to have thoughts only of you._ The two stayed like this for several moments, each one unsure as to what was next. Finally, Ulquiorra stood up, bringing Orihime with him.

"I am… selfish…" he began. He raised his hand to touch her hair. "I wanted your heart only to think of me. I wanted you… to show me what having a heart is like." Ulquiorra realized then the reasoning behind Gin's frantic need to help Rangiku escape. It was not your heart that was the most important, but the heart of the person you loved. Ulquiorra did not want to see Orihime leave them, he wanted her for himself, and in that reasoning, he had killed the one who came to rescue her.

But he realized then, that Orihime could not live here. Not only would she be a captive forever, but she would never truly be his. He began to question if taking her away, and letting Grimmjow have his way with Kurosaki, was the right thing to do.

"When I first saw you, searching so frantically for your lost power, I thought it fruitless," he said. "But I was drawn to your determination, to something I could not explain. When Aizen-sama expressed his wish to bring you here, I did not want to do so. Taking you away, would mean taking you away from your… home, from your heart. But a part of me wanted to bring you here, so that I could visit you often, and settle this confusion in my mind.

"Seeing you with others angered me. Seeing you hurt clouded my judgment."

Orihime remained silent throughout this entire speech, her eyes widening with each revelation. In truth, while it was Ulquiorra who had brought her here, he had let her make her own terms, he was gentler to her than anyone else had been. And, in the depths of her loneliness, had been the one to visit her, to show her that she was not alone here, even if it had felt like it. Somewhere in the course of her captivity, she had fallen in love with Ulquiorra.

* * *

A/N: ! I struggled so hard with this chapter because, well, I'm such a HUGE GrimmHime fan! I had to struggle to keep it UlquiHime! I also had difficulty writing the kissing scene- if only because, as much as I enjoy UlquiorraOrihime, I cannot imagine Ulquiorra kissing or embracing ANYONE, even the woman he loves..

I do apologize if this entire thing seems rushed- I had to get the ball rolling with these two!


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